Crate or case.



PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903.

J. A. TAYLOR. CRATE 0R CASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. TAYLOR, OF WACO, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GRANT I E. LILLY AND J. W. CROOKE,

OF RICHMOND, KENTUCKY.

CRATE OR CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,771, dated March 17, 1903.

Serial No. 115,722. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES A. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waco, in the county of Madison and State of Kentucky, have invented a new anduseful Crate or Case, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved crate or case adapted for use in packing, exhibiting, and I0 transporting eggs, fruit, and other articles,

and also adapted for use in candling or testing eggs; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a crate or case embodying my improvements, showing the sections thereof partially extended one from another. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional perspective view showing a portion of one of the sections.

In the construction of my improved crate or case I provide a plurality of separable sections 1, which are adapted to be placed one upon another and to be extended one from another in series, so that the contents of each may be exhibited. These sections may within the scope of the appended claims be of any, suitable construction and made of any suitable material. In the embodiment of my in- 0 vention here shown each of'the sections comprises the end walls 3 and side walls 4, provided at their lower sides with inwardly-extending flanges 5. Where thersections are made of sheet metal, as shown in Fig. 2, the

3 5 upper edges of the 'side and end walls are bent inwardly and downwardly to .form reinforcing and bearing. flanges 6. The bottom of each section of the crate or case is formed by a grating 7, which is composed of longio tudinal and transverse strips 8 9, respectively, which in practice are preferably made of sheet metal and are united together bysolder; but the said grating may be of any suitable construction; The gratings or bottoms 7 of the sections bear on and are supported by the flanges 5,and they may be either secured thereto or detachable therefrom, as may be desired. When the crate or case is to be used for packing, exhibiting, transporting, and candling eggs, the strips 8 9 of the grating 7 are discontact with one another.

posed at such distance apart that the openings formed between them will register, respectively, with the eggs placed in the sections. When used as an egg-crate, a bottom sheet 10, which may be made of cardboard or any other suitable material, is placed in the bottom of each section 1 and is provided with openings 11 of appropriate size and suitably spaced apart to receive the eggs. The removable collapsible egg-cells' 12 of the usual form and which are usually made of paper or cardboard are also employed in connection with the sections of my crate and are placed therein to receive the eggs and keep, them out of It will be understood that the openings 11 in the bottom sheets 10 register with the openings in the grates or bottoms of the sections and with the egg-cells 12, so that the eggs may be readily tested or candled without the necessity of remov- 7o ing the eggs from the cells by passing a candle or other light under the sections separately,the bottom sheets 10 cutting oif all rays of light excepting those that shine through the eggs in the cells, so that the condition of 7 5 the eggs may be readily and quickly ascertained. V

The side walls at of each section are provided near one'end thereof with outstanding and downwardly-projecting stops 13. Each section is provided with similar stops 14, which project outwardly and downwardly from its end wall 3. When the sections of the crate or case are superposed, the stops thereof prevent lateral displacement of the sections and endwise movement thereof in one direction, the stops of each section overlapping the sides and one end wall of each lower section, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The sections 1 are connected together in pairs throughout the series by links or straps 15, which are here shown as disposed on the outer sides of the sections and as having their ends pivotally connected thereto at appropriatepoints,asat l6. Theselinksformhingeconnections between the sections, which enable them to be disposed one upon another, so that each section covers the, one beneath it, and also enable the sections to be extended longitudinally one fromanother, so that allof the sections may be entirely uncovered and their contents exhibited. When the sections are thus extended, the stops 13 of each section but the lowermost coact with the links 15 by hearing on the latter to support the said section in an inclined position with its inner end somewhat raised, as shown in Fig. 1, thus exhibiting the contents of the sections to the best advantage. This inclined disposition of the sections when thus extended also enables them to be readily grasped at their under side for the purpose of folding them or disposing them one upon another.

A bail17 has the lower ends of its side arms pivotally connected at central points to the sides of the lowermost section, as at 18. Hence the bail may be turned downwardly from over the lower section when the respective sections of the crate are extended, and when the sections are superposed the bail may be turned upwardly to form a handle whereby the crate may be readily carried.

Having thus described my invention, I clai!n 1. A crate or case comprising a plurality of sections adapted for superposition, links connecting said sections in series to provide for their relative movement to extended positions, and stops carried by said sections for engagement with the links at intermediate points to support the sections when extended.

2. A crate or case comprising a plurality of sections adapted to be disposed one upon another, and links connecting said sections together so that they may be extended from one another in one direction, said sect-ions having mutually-engaging stops to limit the movement thereof in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

3. A crate or case comprising a plurality of sections adapted to be disposed upon and to be extended from one another in one direction, and having stops to limit their movement in the reverse direction, and links pivotally attached to and connecting the sections together in pairs, substantially as described.

4. In a crate or case, the combination of a lower section, an upper section adapted to be disposed on and to be moved longitudinally therefrom, links connecting the sections together and stops to prevent lateral movement of the sections when superposed, said stops coacting with the links to support the upper section in an inclined position when extended from the lower section, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. TAYLOR.

WVitnesses:

W. S. HUNLEY, JESSE COBB. 

